Backup path on a network drive

Ignition
1

Hello everyone,

To secure my architecture I wanted to put in place the automated automated backup by using the option in "Config -> Gateway settings ->Scheduled Backup Settings".
For the first trial in the field "Backup Folder", I tried to point to a local folder on the C:\ drive and it work.
The second trial was to change this C:\ location to a network drive (SFEG) but it didn't work.
After mounting the network drive (X: in my case) by using the "net use", Ignition doesn't seems to be able to access to this path.
I tried by typing in the "Backup Folder" path either:
"X:\Ignition\backup" or
"\11.130.112.200\Ignition\backup"
But none of them worked.

By searching on different web page I've seen if the Ignition edge is started before mounting the network drive, it can't detect it.
I tried the to stop the Ignition service and restart it once the network drive has been mounted. It didn't work.

Then I found in the Ignition forum few lines of code to add to the ignition.conf file (Mapping a Network Drive | Ignition User Manual):
wrapper.share.1.location=\fileserver\folder
wrapper.share.1.target=Z:
wrapper.share.1.type=DISK
wrapper.ntservice.account=user
wrapper.ntservice.password=password
wrapper.share.1.account=domain\user
wrapper.share.1.password=password

As there is an authentification to access to the network space I integrated all the requested information:

For reference when I use "net use" here is the command line I type:
net use X: \11.130.112.200\shares\restricted\ignition /USER:11.130.112.200\svc_ignition 1234

The command lines mentionned above become:
wrapper.share.1.location=\11.130.112.200\shares\restricted\ignition
wrapper.share.1.target=X:
wrapper.share.1.type=DISK
wrapper.ntservice.account=svc_ignition
wrapper.ntservice.password=1234
wrapper.share.1.account=11.130.112.200\svc_ignition
wrapper.share.1.password=1234

Then I stopped and restart the module but nothing happened. So 3 questions:

  • Do I need to mount the network drive first (with "net use"), or these lines managed it ?
  • Did I do a mistake on the parameters ? (in ignition.conf)
  • What is the purpose of "wrapper.ntservice" vs "wrapper.share.1"

There is a remaining solution which is dirty. I can use a command to copy and past after each backup done in a C:\ space to transfer the whole content of to my network space (X:)

Any suggestion or advices ?

2

  • Ignition runs as a service, with a separate user account, which doesn't have any network drive letter mappings by default. For local folders, that account must have permissions in the folder you target.

  • The Ignition wrapper's drive letter mapping operation only happens at service startup. Any failure of the network will break that connection and the drive letter mapping will not work again until a service restart. Any failure in the network during service restart will greatly delay Ignition startup as the wrapper performs retries.

  • If the Ignition service is changed to run with a domain account or other account with privileges to a network target, then Ignition can use fully qualified (UNC) share names in file paths instead of using drive letters. UNC paths are connected or re-connected at time of use, and do not require a gateway restart to re-establish after failures.

TL/DR: Don't use mapped drives in the gateway. Use UNC paths.

Even better would be to not use Windows for your gateway OS at all.

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